Delicious and Easy Oven Roasted Broccoli

Broccoli is one of those vegetables that can be eaten so many ways...you can eat it raw, stir fried, baked in a casserole, in a salad...the list goes on and on. My favorite by far is oven roasted broccoli! It's so easy to cook, and the end result is delicious caramelized broccoli with crazy amazing flavor. It's super healthy and can even be cooked in a toaster oven!

It's the beginning of the year, and everybody seems to be making revolutions. I really try to stay away from crazy resolutions, like eating only health foods in the new year, but I do try to lean into a healthier lifestyle. To be honest, I love vegetables, but I seem to get stuck in a rut when planning meals, and veggies end up falling by the wayside. Well, last week I sat down and made a list...2 lists actually. I made a list of main dishes and a list of sides to go with them. I pulled out several of my cookbooks and enlisted the help of my family to come up with some different ideas so I could make dinner fun and interesting again. One of the things that I used to make a lot was roasted broccoli. I know, it doesn't sound very interesting, but stick with me. A few nights ago, I made some open faced Philly cheesesteaks (recipe coming soon) and was serving oven roasted broccoli as the side. My husband was less than thrilled because a. I was serving something new, the Philly cheesesteaks, and he was nervous, and b. broccoli. Amazing thing though, he was blown away by the cheesesteaks and LOVED the roasted broccoli.

The trick is, you have to season the broccoli and allow it to cook at a high temp so it caramelizes. The caramelization that happens to vegetables when you roast them gives them a little bit of sweetness and just a bit of crispness. It's just yummy, not to mention super easy, healthy and inexpensive.

How to Cook Broccoli in the Oven

Preheat your oven or toaster oven to 425° F.

Start by washing a head of broccoli and cutting into uniform pieces...they don't all have to be the same size, but mostly similar.

Place the broccoli on a sheet pan in a single layer.

Next, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Then, season well with salt and pepper or some sort of seasoning. I love using steak seasoning on broccoli because it contains coarse salt, pepper and garlic.

Place in your oven or toaster oven and set a time for 6 minutes. Once 6 minutes is up, use some tongs to toss the broccoli around a bit. Cook for 6 more minutes, then test for doneness. It' going to be up to you how done you like your broccoli. I typically cook mine for 18 minutes to get it just how I like it!

Remove from the oven and serve immediately!

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Another delicious way to serve broccoli is in a salad. If you haven't had it yet, you HAVE to try my Delicious Broccoli Salad with Bacon and Dried Cranberries! It is to die for! Find this recipe and many more HERE on my Recipes Page!